


Chapter Forty-One: Realm of the Senseless

by CavalierConvoy



Series: MTMTE Series One: Shoot Straight with a Crooked Gun [42]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers Generation One, Transformers Generation Two
Genre: Caring, Confessions, Drinking & Talking, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Movie Night, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-21 23:36:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3707543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CavalierConvoy/pseuds/CavalierConvoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Epilogue of <i>Knights of Hedonia</i>:<br/>
And as it was, through the trials faced and the damage repaired, that the <i>Lost Light</i> was a ship teeming with life, and friendships forged strong. And one word to encompass the joy and pain and love:</p><p>
  <i>Home.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chapter Forty-One: Realm of the Senseless

I want to know how you feel  
I want to know if it's real  
I'm losing my senses, I am losing control  
I'm losing my senses, I can't take anymore  
I'm losing control  
-["Realm of the Senseless" ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhJSiHAF7ZY)by Cassandra Complex, from  _Sex & Death_

  
Hab suite level  
The Lost _Light_  
Now

"Hey, Art! Got a cycle?"

"Hey, Rewind," she greeted, keeping her gaze locked forward as the Deployer caught up to her gait. "On my way to meet up with the boys; what's up?"

_The boys...._

"First, how's Magnus?"

"Remember the time when 'Cutter and I had our first shots competition and it took three 'Bots each to drag us to the brig to dry out?"

"I'm surprised you remembered that."

"I don't; I'm going by witness accounts. But I'd imagine that's probably how Magnus feels right now. Might be best to stay clear of him for a sol or two; it's not a stretch of the imagination to figure him to be the surly type of hung-over."

"I'll spread the word."

"Discreetly."

"Discreetly, understood." By his mischievous tone, rumours might be spread. "So the second question I had revolves around a not-so-secret investigation going around."

So they had come to the same conclusion. "This has to do with the reason why Chromedome wasn't with us on Hedonia?"

Rewind nodded; even without a discernible mouth, his frown was sensed. "He dropped a hint regarding Red. It wasn't an accident, was it? Look, Art, I know you probably can't talk about it, but my biggest concern is for Chromedome's well-being. I don't think the others realise how dangerous mnemosurgery is. He promised me he wouldn't inject anymore, but he also wants to be useful, and ..." he sighed. "I just want to know if he's getting into something deeper than he realises."

"Have you accessed the CCTV logs?" she questioned.

"I don't have clearance." Not necessarily denial. "But if I did, I'd imagine that someone covered their tracks if it was suspicious and erased data, before, during, and after."

 _Oh, he was good._ "And if that were the case, we'd be looking at less accidental and more premeditated."

"I would imagine Red would cover his tracks in his own investigation, if he believes in a conspiracy," Rewind continued.

"Especially in the possibility that he would avoid his own security setup. Only he would know all the blind spots, and if he could not avoid them, he could edit the records and cite them as data errors."

"Frag, this has been going on longer than just recently," Artemis swore. "Have you talked to Rod?"

The archivist shook his head. "His spark's in the right place, but I don't think his head's getting the message. I'd rather go through Magnus first — especially now that he's taken over Red's office. And while I trust Rodimus, Magnus is the one officer incapable of subterfuge."

"And he's currently incapacitated. Frag!" Artemis rubbed her optics. "Dammit, Rewind, you're getting me paranoid. Who else was with your group on Hedonia? Magnus, you, Swerve, Whirl — "

"Rung, Skids, and Tailgate. We met up with Cyclonus at one point, but that was afterwards."

"Coincidence," Artemis grumbled. "Whirl doesn't plan ahead, and Swerve can't be trusted to keep his mouth shut to be part of a conspiracy. They were the only ones involved in the spiking, right?"

"More so Whirl than Swerve. I might have caught it on video, in case you're interested...."

 _You magnificent bastard._ "If you did, I would like to review the data, just to make certain it was only a prank gone awry."

"As a master of pranks, you would know," Rewind coughed.

"Don't know whatever you mean," she retorted. "Look, I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do. Magnus took over the investigation — I had some evidence stolen while I was in the medibay yesterday, and I think it's connected."

"Risk assessment," Rewind prompted. "What's the chance of something else, like another sparkeater, could have been found on board?"

"We scoured the ship top to bottom afterwards; even had the ducts scouted."

"What about the off-limits parts of the ship?"

"You mean the places where Magnus cordoned off because of safety issues and structural instability? Where do you think I go when I need to stash contraband? Besides, Huffer's and Dipstick's crews have clearance there, and we were thorough. Although," she tapped her knuckle against her lip. "Now that I think about it, part of Red's notes included weight distribution inconsistencies."

"You think we were carrying contraband before we left Cybertron?"

"I know I was," she chuckled. "But if you're referring to black market-grade weapons, good chance we might. Gotta fund this expedition somehow."

"But other than Magnus and Red having a collective hissy fit, that wouldn't warrant such secrecy, or cause someone to take out Red, or Red to attempt to take his own life — theoretically. It would have to be large scale, bigger than all of us."  
"The thing is, who's capable of pulling it off? Cross Magnus off the list; he had a freak out when I told him about busting 'Cutter out of impound."

"'Freak out'?"

"Well, as much as can be expected in his current condition. Those of us with rap sheets are primarily petty offences, maybe one of two with more serious charges. Nothing with large scale smuggling on an individual scale."

"Save you."

"It was during the wartime effort, and we had to justify bombing around the Arm in a hollowed out asteroid. At least we didn't have to fill up that beast up every hundred light years; I cringe at the thought out the fuel economy of a Warworld under normal conditions."

"What about Brainstorm?"

Artemis glanced down at Rewind with an arched brow. "My first duty under Red? Break down Brainstorm's boxes to check the items against the manifest he submitted. I almost lost good graces with him for that, by the way, if it wasn't for the fact I expressed interest in his inventions. Besides, the weight distribution--frag, his mass-displacement gun." She struck her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Back on the persons of interest list he goes."

"If he is involved," Rewind sighed.

Halting, Artemis bowed her head, and dimmed her optics. "I'm sorry I'm not much help right now. Hell, I'm not even supposed to be in work mode -- doctor's orders. Just can't seem to switch off. I can understand that need to be useful, though. Helps with staving off the demons."

"Friends help with that, too," Rewind reminded.

Now she smiled. "Indeed they do."

They parted company at hab suite Rewind shared with Chromedome with the promises to keep in touch in the case anything else yielded fruition in the investigation.

 _You've done enough,_ Ratchet said.

_It's never enough. Always searching for ways to atone, to make up for lost time, wasted stels...._

"Artemis!" Hoist called out from behind. "Are you meeting up with Trailbreaker?"

She turned on her heel without breaking step. The green field engineer was joined by his comrade Grapple, who had a folding chair under his arm.

_The boys...._

Before, her Wreckers were 'the boys'. Even before she had found her niche here on board, she used that to refer to Octane, Sandstorm, Skyfire, and Cavalier. Even in the beginning of this quest, she believed she would have ended up running with the fighters.

_The engex may have brought us together, but it's not what holds us together._

She was...not tired. No, she was....

_Content._

Eh, just roll with it. "You in too?" she asked the two approaching.

_The boys._

Hoist nodded. "Skids may be joining us as well; he said he had to run an errand."

"Hey, at least you guys have the room for us. And by the by, thanks for bailing last night. Crammed between 'Cutter and the wall is a much better alternative than dealing with Cav's unconscious snuggling."

"You couldn't have stuffed her in a duct?" Grapple questioned. "I'm certain she's got nests in strategically mapped out areas all over the ship."

"Oi, Skids!" Artemis raise a hand in greeting to the approaching mech, who was carrying a couple of cases of lager; Whirl was behind him, with an armload of harder engex.

"Oh, scrap," Grapple muttered. Hoist elbowed him in the side.

"Right now he's not on my favourite persons list, either," Artemis admitted under her breath. Louder, she pointed to the two toting the engex. "You two, you owe me something fierce."

"Well, I'm hoping this makes an acceptable peace offering!" Skids lifted one of the cases.

 _Huh._ Skids, while mischievous with the best of them, was not intentionally cruel enough to wave temptation, which meant Whirl did not blab about her attempt at sobriety to the others. Which meant he either was respecting her privacy...

...or he was the one waving temptation in her face.

_The fragger._

Before Artemis could retort, the host of the party arrived with an armload of munchies. "Figured we can't live off of engex alone tonight," Trailcutter stated, passing off some of the load to Artemis. "Try as we might, some of us have work in the morning."

"Like that ever stopped us," Artemis chuckled as Hoist unlocked the door, granting them entry. "And Whirl being quiet makes me suspicious."

"Hey, I'm in the presence of heroes!" he proclaimed, "Let me bask in your reverence!"

"Now I'm suspicious," Trailcutter agreed with a throaty chuckle.

"Seriously! We should get Sunstreaker in on this so we can have a rightful celebration! Because of these three brave 'bots, we have an official-like bar!"

"Sunstreaker's having a night in, picking out gravel and sod from his wheel bases," Hoist reminded. "After the initial rush, he started complaining. And I would like to point out that poor Bob was also involved in your little escapade."

"To Bob!" Trailcutter huzzahed.

"All we did was get Swerve a resale certificate," Artemis corrected. "I'm certain Rod handled the rest."

"But!" Trailcutter exclaimed, "if it wasn't for Art's bravery and quick thinking...!"

"Otherwise known as my uncanny ability to pull on-the-fly plans from my aft...." she muttered.

"Did anyone else take the time to actually sight-see Hedonia's port?" Grapple unfurled the director-style chair with a flick of his hand, then proceeded to pull out a folded table from the pantry. "Or was getting blitzed and/or arrested the only priorities on everyone's mind?"

"I was not arrested, I was impounded. There's a difference," Trailcutter corrected.

The yellow Autobot shrugged with one shoulder as he set up the table for those ladened with snacks and drinks to unload. "The architecture of their underwater resort facilities were absolutely stunning! I've never seen such intricate lattice work used to support the weight distribution of tidal water — brilliant!"

Hoist's interest piqued with the common vein. "A shame you didn't make it to the hanging gardens; there was a consortium discussing natural formations in designing modern architecture I happened to stumble upon — "

"Pfft. Bored now." Whirl interrupted, already cracking open one of the lagers. "You nerds starting a party or a garden club?"

"Oi, I like listening to nerds talk!" Artemis protested, realising too late she had already drained half a lager. Frag. She did have a box of the spiced spicy-sweets she preferred whenever she had a craving; Trailcutter had pressed the box into her right hand earlier, about the same time Skids had handed her the lager in her left. The energon hard candy would help curb the temptation. Possibly.

"Never got that about you, boss," Whirl harrumphed, then changed the subject before anyone could continue. "Hey, Grapple, where'd you get the chair?"

"On Earth." Grapple grumbled, popping his own can and sipping the contents.

"What's that say on the back?"

"It says nothing. Just decoration."

"It says his name in English," Trailcutter explained; he propped up on his berth, doubling as a couch, and flipped on the vidscreen with the remote. "Hoist has one too."

"Mine was misspelled," Hoist deflected the comment, his tone north of _never speak of this again_.

"So why do you have a chair that has your name in English?" Whirl demanded.

"It was a gift." Grapple looked over at Artemis with a _Kill him now, please?_ pleading in his optics. "Hoist and I did something for some humans and they thanked us with gifts. End of story. And who invited you to the party, anyway?"

"Yeah, that would be me. Sorry." Skids raised his hand, taking the floor by Artemis's feet.

"Why are you apologising?" Whirl demanded. "Better this than punching myself in the face all night, and with Swerve sending his memoirs to his BFF back on Cybertron, the bar's closed."

"I figured better him with supervision," Skids shrugged.

"Look, Whirl, if you can be nice to everyone, you can stay," Trailcutter negotiated.

"I'll have no problem bouncing your spindly aft out if you start something," Artemis added. Oh, frag, what happened to that lager? That was why she hated lagers. They had a habit of disappearing fast. Stouts, although potent, lasted longer.

"I'll have no problem if we can just pick a flick and play it!" Whirl groaned. "Enough socialising! I hate socialising! _C'est vraiment dégueulasse!_ "

"What did he say?" Grapple questioned. Artemis snorted but did not explain the joke.

"Ground rules!" Trailcutter called out. "Heckling is encouraged; throwing slag at the vidscreen is not! Moment someone feels the urge to throw slag, speak up and we'll switch to Monty Python. Understood?"

"'Its metabolic processes are a matter of interest only to historians!'" Whirl exclaimed.

"Whirl, did you have anything else other than engex while on Hedonia?" Hoist questioned in his outskirt medic tone.

"Yes, wait...no...yes. Quite possibly. C'mon just start the fraggin' film before I do something suicidal like flirt with Skids or the boss or something!"

"Heh, he said you first," Artemis nudged Skids with her foot. A message from Cavalier hit her comm unit: _Table-topping in SS's hab; he's got room for an actual table._

"That's because I'm better looking," Skids countered. "And I think he might have scored some circuit boosters from the Ammonites we encountered."

Whirl whipped his head around, regarding everyone for a brief second before staring down at his claws, clacking them together. "I thought those energon goodies tasted funny."

The epiphany struck Artemis as Trailcutter queued up the first batch of movies. After spending so long living as though the next moment could be the last, letting one's guard down for a moment could get one slagged...

...and now she was watching unintentionally funny pre-war propaganda shorts with five other Autobots, three — maybe four — of whom would have normally avoided her.

By the time she finished the fourth lager, the commentary dissolved into ad-libbing skits based on Junkion or Monty Python stage comedy and she had pressed up against her best friend's side, his arm around her shoulder.

And the night had just started.

 

CONTINUED IN: The Stars at Mortal Wars  
NEXT CHAPTER: Push and Punish


End file.
